Humans First Plans July 18 AI Data Center Protests in 22 States
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 6
Humans First Plans July 18 AI Data Center Protests in 22 States
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 6
Summary
Humans First, chaired by conservative activist Amy Kremer, is organizing July 18 protests against AI data centers across 22 states, including 11 demonstrations in Texas and seven in Florida.
The group says communities are being sidelined as hyperscale projects move ahead, while residents fear higher power bills, environmental damage and declining quality of life in the rural areas where many centers are built.
Kremer rejects a nationwide moratorium backed by some Democrats, including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and instead argues each community should decide whether to host a project.
The campaign taps a widening bipartisan backlash: a May Gallup poll found more than 70% of Americans do not want a data center nearby, even as more than 1,400 centers had been built or approved by end-2025.
That local resistance is colliding with Washington's AI push, including the Trump-backed $500 billion Stargate buildout, underscoring a growing political fight over how fast AI infrastructure should expand.